Momma Mia.

What did I do to deserve this?

I am completely baffled at the great deal I get by working a few hours a day. Please tell me where the downside is here. 

I am rooming with an American named Kurt that for a living pretty much does the help exchange. Interesting guy that is ex-army and full of plenty of stories(fantastic for people that don't like to talk much, me). Our place is a little 3 story apartment that is on a hill over looking the city and beach. There is actually a terrace that we hangout on for a couple hours each day to soak in the fierce beauty of the entire scene. I get my own room with a queen size bed and bathroom.

The father, Michael, picks us up in the morning around 8:45, takes us to his house for tea or coffee and we start work around 9:30. I find this hilarious. Never would I thought I would find people in this world that started later then I would want to. Ask my parents and they will concur that 5 a.m. was something I pissed and moaned about. "5 a.m.? But it will still be there at 9, why 5?" Sure an Arizona sun at 9 is equal to the 105 fever you get if you don't get enough cow bell(check SNL for reference if that flew past you). I digress(often). We work till 1:30 if it is not raining. If it rains, it is a day off. The Italians are related to the wicked witch of the west. Not a smart move to go to an island surrounded by water. The work is simple enough, prune trees, pile the branches, burn branches, repeat. Once in a while there will be an odd job such as pick blueberries for them to make thief own liquor. Lunch time. The kids are home from school and Silvia, the mother, is making something the contestants on top chef couldn't make. Her lunch and dinner would easily be a $25 meal. We eat with the entire family devour massive amounts of food. But according to them their food is not fattening. Hmmm... Pasta, bread, meat. Yeah your probably right. I am not gonna complain, I am just gonna keep on saying ancora(more in Italian).

After lunch we have a choice to work or go home. Most who know me know that going home early is the first choice, like the kinda sluty girl in high school being first choice to prom, you gotta hope. Well, moat the time we say keep working. It is so special to be apart of a family's life style. The fact that I am here is making their life a bit easier, and it feels great. They could work me all day and I would be perfectly fine with that. Michael drops us off to spend the rest of the day however we want until dinner at 8. Most of the time I like to take a little nap like the locals do, then walk around the town to get a feel. Old men sitting in groups of four yelling, gesturing, and staring at new faces as they walk past(me). After a few nights out on the town, I have a good feeling for the layout. Soon it will be discovery time for the little gems. Excitement.
The last part of the day ends with dinner cooked by master chef Silvia, as previously mentioned, with the family. The kids are pretty great. Orlando is 13 and knows a little bit of English so we can ask him questions and he can answer yes and no. It feels like a game of twenty questions. "are you hungry" no, "are you tired" no, "are you understanding the words coming out of my mouf?" yes. Nice I win. Nahima is a different animal. She knows 0 English, yet I feel a connection with her. It might be a superficial connection that is only bonded because we stick our tongues at each other, but I can tell she is a kindred spirit. I think she is my best chance at learning Italian. I asked her to teach me in Italian, or is said please poop jelly beans, either way she laughed and ran to play outside.

Moral of the story is this place is awesome like Michael Jacksons thriller video.